Telerik Reporting alternative

The Telerik Reporting alternative built on RDL

Bold Reports is a pixel-perfect .NET reporting platform that opens SSRS RDL and RDLC files natively. Designer, viewer, and report server ship as one platform, licensed by deployment, not by developer seat or CAL.

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Native RDL / RDLC

No per-developer or per-CAL fees

Cloud, private cloud, or on-premises

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The evaluation

Why teams evaluate Telerik Reporting alternatives

Telerik Reporting is actively maintained by Progress and holds a strong position in the .NET tooling market. Teams evaluate alternatives when one of four constraints stops fitting, not because the product stopped working.

An existing RDL library has nowhere to land

Telerik's import wizard converts only from Crystal Reports, ActiveReports, and XtraReports, not RDL or RDLC. The SSRS request sits at Unplanned, so a 200-report estate means 200 rebuilds.

Managed report delivery is a separate SKU

Embedded reports are royalty-free and your end users need no licences. But management, scheduling, and self-service authoring need Telerik Report Server, with named-user CALs.

There is no vendor-managed hosting option

An Azure Marketplace image and Docker containers make deployment fast, but you still own and patch the VM. No first-party managed SaaS tier exists, in any edition or bundle.

Tenancy is an extension point, not a feature

A Custom Report Resolver and permission scoping make multi-tenancy achievable, not absent. But there is no per-tenant site, no per-tenant database, no built-in row filter.

Note: Bold Reports answers these to different degrees. On deployment the answer is short: Cloud Edition, an isolated Managed Private Cloud, or On-Premises. The same platform in all three.

Why Bold Reports

Three reasons teams pick Bold Reports over Telerik Reporting

Faster to migrate, flexible to host, and multi-tenant by construction rather than by implementation.

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RDL reports import as they are

Bold Reports opens .rdl and .rdlc files natively, so layout, parameters, and data bindings survive the move intact.

Cloud, private cloud, or on-prem

Run it as managed SaaS, as an isolated private cloud we operate, or inside your own network. Same platform in all three.

Tenancy is built in, not built

Multi-site deployment and row-level security scope every report to its tenant, by separate database or shared schema.

Side by side

Bold Reports vs Telerik Reporting: capability comparison

Both products are pixel-perfect, paginated reporting engines for the .NET stack with embeddable viewers and WYSIWYG design tools. The differences that matter in an evaluation are report format, licensing shape, deployment model, and how much multi-tenant architecture is prescribed versus left to you.

Capability	Telerik Reporting	Bold Reports
Native report format	.trdp / .trdx XML, or CLR report classes	RDL and RDLC (SSRS-compatible)
Opens existing SSRS RDL files	Not supported; no SSRS/RDL converter	Yes, opens .rdl and .rdlc directly
Legacy converters provided	Crystal Reports, ActiveReports, XtraReports. Telerik documents these as helper utilities that do not guarantee one-to-one conversion	Crystal Reports to RDL converter utility, single-file and bulk (early access), plus Word and PowerPoint to RDL utilities; converted reports still need validation
Report designers	Visual Studio extension, standalone desktop designer, and browser-based Web Report Designer	Browser-based Web Report Designer, a Standalone Report Designer for Windows sold as a separate add-on (RDL and RDLC, deploys to Bold Report Server or Microsoft SSRS), and Report Writer for end users
Embedding SDKs	ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, HTML5/JS, WPF, WinForms, WinUI	ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, JavaScript, Vue (documented guides), WPF, UWP. No WinForms viewer, the WPF viewer hosts in WinForms via ElementHost
Blazor implementation	Native Blazor Report Viewer component	jQuery-based web viewer invoked through a boldreports-interop.js JS interop layer; works in Blazor Server and WebAssembly
Pixel-perfect paginated output	PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, CSV, image and more	PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, CSV, XML, HTML
Report management, scheduling, distribution	Telerik Report Server, a separately licensed product	Included in the platform across all editions
Developer licensing	Per developer, per year, with tiered support levels	No per-developer fee
End users of your embedded app	Royalty-free, no per-end-user licensing, no runtime fees	No per-user fee
Named users on the report server	Client Access Licenses, assigned to named users, not floating; 15 per instance, then bundles of 5. Guest-account preview and export are exempt	No per-user fee
Deployment models	Self-hosted: on-premises, your own cloud, Azure Marketplace VM image, or Docker containers. No first-party managed SaaS tier	Cloud Edition, Managed Private Cloud, or On-Premises Edition
Multi-tenancy	Achievable via Custom Report Resolver and permission scoping; tenancy is not a product construct, no per-tenant site or database	Multi-site deployment, either with a separate database per site or with multiple sites on a shared database scoped by row-level security. RLS filters report data by role, attribute, or tenant ID
White-label / branding control	WhiteLabeling on Report Server since R1 2017, plus viewer themes and skinning and a full REST API	Per-tenant logos, themes, layouts, and custom domains
Parent company	Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS)	Syncfusion

Capability	Telerik Reporting	Bold Reports
Native report format	.trdp / .trdx XML, or CLR report classes	RDL and RDLC (SSRS-compatible)
Opens existing SSRS RDL files	Not supported; no SSRS/RDL converter	Yes, opens .rdl and .rdlc directly
Legacy converters provided	Crystal Reports, ActiveReports, XtraReports. Telerik documents these as helper utilities that do not guarantee one-to-one conversion	Crystal Reports to RDL converter utility, single-file and bulk (early access), plus Word and PowerPoint to RDL utilities; converted reports still need validation
Report designers	Visual Studio extension, standalone desktop designer, and browser-based Web Report Designer	Browser-based Web Report Designer, a Standalone Report Designer for Windows sold as a separate add-on (RDL and RDLC, deploys to Bold Report Server or Microsoft SSRS), and Report Writer for end users
Pixel-perfect paginated output	PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, CSV, image and more	PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, CSV, XML, HTML
Parent company	Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS)	Syncfusion

Capability	Telerik Reporting	Bold Reports
Embedding SDKs	ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, HTML5/JS, WPF, WinForms, WinUI	ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, JavaScript, Vue (documented guides), WPF, UWP. No WinForms viewer, the WPF viewer hosts in WinForms via ElementHost
Blazor implementation	Native Blazor Report Viewer component	jQuery-based web viewer invoked through a boldreports-interop.js JS interop layer; works in Blazor Server and WebAssembly
Multi-tenancy	Achievable via Custom Report Resolver and permission scoping; tenancy is not a product construct, no per-tenant site or database	Multi-site deployment, either with a separate database per site or with multiple sites on a shared database scoped by row-level security. RLS filters report data by role, attribute, or tenant ID
White-label / branding control	WhiteLabeling on Report Server since R1 2017, plus viewer themes and skinning and a full REST API	Per-tenant logos, themes, layouts, and custom domains
Parent company	Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS)	Syncfusion

Capability	Telerik Reporting	Bold Reports
Report management, scheduling, distribution	Telerik Report Server, a separately licensed product	Included in the platform across all editions
Developer licensing	Per developer, per year, with tiered support levels	No per-developer fee
End users of your embedded app	Royalty-free, no per-end-user licensing, no runtime fees	No per-user fee
Named users on the report server	Client Access Licenses, assigned to named users, not floating; 15 per instance, then bundles of 5. Guest-account preview and export are exempt	No per-user fee
Deployment models	Self-hosted: on-premises, your own cloud, Azure Marketplace VM image, or Docker containers. No first-party managed SaaS tier	Cloud Edition, Managed Private Cloud, or On-Premises Edition
Parent company	Progress Software (Nasdaq: PRGS)	Syncfusion

Compiled from both vendors' public documentation, pricing, and support forums, August 2026. Capabilities vary by edition and contract on both sides, confirm current terms before you rely on them. Telerik and Progress are trademarks of Progress Software Corporation. Telerik Reporting product page.

Licensing

How the two licensing models differ

One meters by headcount. The other meters by deployment. That single difference decides which is cheaper for you.

Bold Reports: one platform, priced by deployment

No per-developer fees. No per-user fees.

Quoted against deployment model and scale.

Adding developers costs nothing. Adding report consumers costs nothing. Bold Reports' pricing page states it plainly, and quotes against deployment model and scale instead. What that covers is the platform itself, identical in every edition:

Web report designer and viewer
Report server, scheduling, and version history
25+ data connectors with built-in ETL
Multi-tenancy and row-level security
White-labeling and custom domains

The capability set does not change between Cloud, Managed Private Cloud, and On-Premises, you choose a deployment, not a feature tier. Turning on self-service reporting for a thousand business users is a configuration change, not a second purchase order. (The Windows Standalone Report Designer is a separate add-on.)

Telerik: developer seats, plus a second product for delivery

Telerik Reporting is licensed per developer per year, and its embedded distribution is royalty-free, your application's end users need no licenses and there are no runtime fees. For pure embedding, that model is genuinely competitive.

Report management, scheduling, and self-service authoring are a separate product. Telerik Report Server is licensed per instance and adds named-user Client Access Licenses for administrators, report editors, and authenticated viewers. It ships inside DevCraft Ultimate, the economical route if you already buy the full Telerik suite.

So the question is whether you need managed delivery. If you only embed a fixed set of reports, Telerik's royalty-free model is hard to beat on price, and you would be switching for the RDL path or the hosting options rather than the licensing. If you want scheduled delivery, a managed report portal, or self-service authoring for a growing named audience, that is a second Telerik SKU metered per person, and it is already inside every Bold Reports edition.

No pricing figures appear on this page by choice. Terms change, and a stale number is worse than none. Pull current rates from Telerik's pricing page and Bold Reports pricing before any budget conversation.

SaaS and ISV teams

For SaaS and ISV teams embedding reporting in a product

If you ship reports to your customers rather than your colleagues, two things decide the build: how tenants are isolated, and what each new customer costs you.

Tenant isolation is configuration, not construction

Bold Reports runs many sites from one deployment, each with its own database, or several sharing a database scoped by row-level security. RLS filters by role, attribute, or tenant ID, so one report definition returns only the rows a tenant is entitled to. That distinction matters most when a security review asks you to demonstrate isolation.

White-labeling goes past the viewer chrome

Each tenant gets its own logo, theme, layout, and custom domain, and the embedded designer exposes APIs for branding, workflow, and permissions, so the authoring surface inside your product looks like your product. See white-label reporting for SaaS.

Embedding is token-based

JWT authentication gives password-free, tenant-scoped access, so your application's existing session is the source of truth rather than a second login your customers have to manage.

On cost, know which product you are pricing

Telerik's embedded distribution is royalty-free, so for a fixed set of operational reports it is hard to beat and you would be switching for the RDL path or the hosting options, not the price. The moment you offer customers self-service authoring or scheduled delivery, that becomes Telerik Report Server with named-user CALs, and it is already in every Bold Reports edition.

Enterprise reporting teams

For enterprise reporting teams

Enterprise evaluations turn on deployment control, governance, and what happens to the reports you already have.

Run it, or have it run for you

Cloud Edition, an isolated Managed Private Cloud we operate, or On-Premises inside your own network, the same platform in all three.

One place to govern all of it

Role-based access, row-level security, scheduling, delivery, and version history are administered centrally, not assembled across two products.

Business users, without a purchase

Analysts author and edit in the browser designer and Report Writer, and enabling them is a permission change rather than a licensing decision.

Your existing report estate decides the project size

Most large .NET organizations hold an RDL inventory: live SSRS instances, RDLC files compiled into applications, reports inherited through acquisitions. Bold Reports opens those directly, so migration becomes re-pointing connections and validating output rather than re-authoring designs. Reports authored natively in Telerik's .trdx format or as CLR classes still have to be rebuilt. The format advantage applies to your RDL estate, not to reports that were never RDL.

SSRS RDL

opens directly →

opens directly ↓

SSRS RDL

RDLC

opens directly →

opens directly ↓

Bold Reports, no rebuild

Telerik .trdx / CLR

rebuild required →

rebuild required ↓

New development, estimate it as such

.NET application teams

For .NET application teams

For teams whose question is simply "can I drop this into my app," the answer is the same shape as Telerik's: a server-side rendering engine plus a per-framework viewer component.

@page "/reports"
@inject IJSRuntime JS

<div id="viewer" style="height:650px"></div>

@code {
    protected override async Task OnAfterRenderAsync(bool firstRender)
    {
        if (!firstRender) return;
        await JS.InvokeVoidAsync("boldReports.renderViewer", new {
            reportServiceUrl = "/api/BoldReports",
            reportPath = "~/Resources/sales-summary.rdl",
            processingMode = "Remote"
        });
    }
}

// wwwroot/boldreports-interop.js
// window.boldReports = { renderViewer: o => $("#viewer").boldReportViewer(o) };

@addTagHelper *, BoldReports.AspNet.Core

<bold-report-viewer id="viewer"
                    report-service-url="/api/BoldReports"
                    report-path="~/Resources/sales-summary.rdl"
                    processing-mode="Remote">
</bold-report-viewer>

// Controllers/BoldReportsController.cs
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class BoldReportsController : Controller, IReportController
{
    public object PostReportAction([FromBody] Dictionary<string, object> data)
        => ReportHelper.ProcessReport(data, this, this.memoryCache);
}

import '@boldreports/javascript-reporting-controls/Scripts/bold.report-viewer.min';
import '@boldreports/javascript-reporting-controls/Content/material/bold.reports.all.min.css';
import { BoldReportViewerModule } from '@boldreports/angular-reporting-components';

<!-- report-viewer.component.html -->
<bold-reportviewer id="viewer"
                   [reportServiceUrl]="serviceUrl"
                   [reportPath]="reportPath"
                   [processingMode]="'Remote'">
</bold-reportviewer>

// report-viewer.component.ts
serviceUrl = '/api/BoldReports';
reportPath = '~/Resources/sales-summary.rdl';

import '@boldreports/javascript-reporting-controls/Scripts/bold.report-viewer.min';
import '@boldreports/javascript-reporting-controls/Content/material/bold.reports.all.min.css';
import { BoldReportViewerComponent } from '@boldreports/react-reporting-components';

export default function SalesReport() {
  return (
    <BoldReportViewerComponent
      id="viewer"
      reportServiceUrl="/api/BoldReports"
      reportPath="~/Resources/sales-summary.rdl"
      processingMode="Remote"
    />
  );
}

<link href="bold.reports.all.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<script src="jquery.min.js"></script>
<script src="bold.reports.common.min.js"></script>
<script src="bold.report-viewer.min.js"></script>
 
<div id="viewer" style="height:650px"></div>
 
<script>
  $(function () {
    $("#viewer").boldReportViewer({
      reportServiceUrl: "/api/BoldReports",
      reportPath: "~/Resources/sales-summary.rdl",
      processingMode: "Remote"
    });
  });
</script>

Full viewer and designer documentation for every framework above.

Reports render server-side

Generation and export happen on the server, so large paginated exports don't depend on client memory or block the browser.

Components across the .NET and JavaScript stack

Viewer and designer components ship for ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, JavaScript, WPF, and UWP, with the web targets distributed as the @boldreports/javascript-reporting-controls npm package. Vue has documented integration guides for both the viewer and the designer.

The web viewer is jQuery-based, and Blazor goes through JS interop

Setup in Blazor Server or WebAssembly means referencing the Bold Reports scripts and styles plus a small boldreports-interop.js file, invoked via IJSRuntime. It is documented and works in both hosting models, but if you want a viewer authored natively in Blazor with no JavaScript in your project, Telerik ships one and we do not. Weigh that if your team has a no-interop policy.

Authoring runs in the browser or on the desktop

Alongside the web designer, a Standalone Report Designer, licensed as a separate add-on, installs on Windows for offline RDL and RDLC authoring, with a visual query builder and connections to SQL Server, Oracle, OLEDB, ODBC, XML, and Web API. Reports it produces deploy to Bold Report Server or to Microsoft SSRS, so teams that still run SSRS can author in it during a phased migration.

RDL is a portable format, and that cuts both ways.

Report definitions in RDL are readable XML that other RDL-compatible tooling can open. That is an argument for RDL as a format choice independent of vendor: it lowers the cost of your next migration, including one away from us.

Honest note on desktop viewer components

Telerik provides WinForms and WinUI viewers for embedding into desktop applications. Bold Reports ships WPF and UWP; there is no dedicated WinForms viewer, though the WPF viewer can be hosted inside a WinForms application through ElementHost. If WinForms or WinUI is load-bearing for a desktop client you still ship, confirm the fit before planning a move.

Migration

What migrating from Telerik Reporting actually involves

Effort splits by where each report came from. Inventory that split first, it sizes the whole project.

What we won't claim

There is no button that converts a .trdx file. Any vendor promising an automatic Telerik migration is describing the RDL half and omitting the other. Ask us to size both buckets against your real inventory before you commit to a date.

Sort into two buckets

Anything that began as RDL or RDLC imports directly, including estates still running on an SSRS alternative path. Anything authored as .trdx or a CLR class gets rebuilt. That ratio is your project size.

Import and re-point

Import the RDL bucket, then re-point data connections to your environment. The files open as they are; the connections are what you change. Follow the step-by-step RDL migration guide.

Validate against production data

Check page breaks, group headers, parameter behaviour, and PDF and Excel fidelity. This is where the hours go, not the import.

Rebuild the Telerik-native bucket

Estimate .trdx and CLR reports as new development. Consolidate near-duplicates here rather than porting them one-for-one.

Swap the viewer, then cut over

On ASP.NET Core, Blazor, Angular, or React this is a component and endpoint change. Run both through one month-end first.

Fit check

When Telerik Reporting is still the right call

A short list, so you can disqualify us early instead of late.

Stay with Telerik Reporting if…

You already license DevCraft.

Reporting is near-marginal cost inside Complete or Ultimate, and Ultimate bundles Report Server.

Your estate is Telerik-native.

No RDL library means no import advantage; .trdx and CLR reports get rebuilt either way.

You need WinForms, WinUI, or native Blazor.

Telerik ships viewers for all three. We ship WPF and UWP, and reach Blazor through JS interop.

You author reports in Visual Studio.

CLR report classes let you version reports as code. Bold Reports authoring is designer-led.

Evaluate Bold Reports if…

You have an RDL estate to keep.

.rdl and .rdlc open directly, so migration is re-pointing and validation, not re-authoring.

Your report consumers are customers.

Managed delivery and self-service are in every edition, with no named-user seat to buy.

You would rather not run it yourself.

Cloud Edition or an isolated Managed Private Cloud we operate. On-Premises if you prefer.

You must evidence tenant isolation.

Per-site databases, or a shared database scoped by row-level security, as a product construct.

FAQ

Questions this page hasn't answered yet

What is the best Telerik Reporting alternative for .NET teams?

It depends on your report format. If you hold an SSRS RDL or RDLC library, Bold Reports opens those files natively and skips the re-authoring project a Telerik-format-only tool requires. Other credible options are DevExpress Reporting, MESCIUS ActiveReports, Stimulsoft, and FastReport. Compare on format compatibility, licensing axis, and deployment model.

Can Telerik Reporting open SSRS RDL or RDLC files?

No. Telerik uses its own .trdp / .trdx format or CLR report classes, and its Import Report Wizard converts only from Crystal Reports, ActiveReports, and XtraReports. RDL, RDLC, and SSRS appear nowhere in Telerik's import documentation, and the SSRS conversion request is marked Unplanned on Telerik's feedback portal.

Can Bold Reports open my existing RDL reports?

Yes. RDL and RDLC are native formats in Bold Reports, so .rdl and .rdlc files open directly with layout, parameters, and data-source bindings intact. Most need their connections re-pointed and their output validated, not redesigned.

Do I have to rebuild reports authored in Telerik Reporting?

Yes. Reports created as .trdx files or CLR report classes must be rebuilt, because the formats do not interoperate. Inventory by origin before you estimate: the RDL bucket imports, the Telerik-native bucket is new development.

How does Telerik pricing compare to Bold Reports?

They meter differently. Telerik Reporting is licensed per developer per year, with royalty-free embedded distribution, your end users need no licenses and there are no runtime fees. Telerik Report Server is a separate per-instance purchase that adds named-user Client Access Licenses. Bold Reports charges no per-developer or per-user fee and quotes on deployment model and scale. Close for pure embedding; divergent for self-service at scale.

Do my customers need a license to view reports embedded with Telerik Reporting?

No. Telerik Reporting includes royalty-free runtime distribution: end users of your application need no licensing and no runtime fees apply. Client Access Licenses belong to Telerik Report Server, not to Telerik Reporting, they cover named users who manage assets, edit in the designers, use a server-connected viewer, or call its APIs. Guest-account preview and export consume none.

Does Bold Reports support the same frameworks as Telerik Reporting?

Largely, with differences at the edges. Both ship viewers for ASP.NET Core, MVC, Web Forms, Blazor, Angular, React, and JavaScript, and Bold Reports publishes Vue integration guides for both the viewer and the designer. Telerik adds WinForms, WinUI, and a native Blazor viewer; Bold Reports adds UWP and reaches Blazor through JS interop. Confirm your specific target before committing.

Does Bold Reports handle multi-tenant SaaS applications?

Yes. Multi-site deployment gives each site its own database, or lets several sites share one database scoped by row-level security, which filters by role, attribute, or tenant ID. Embedded access uses tenant-scoped JWT authentication. Telerik supports multi-tenancy too, via a Custom Report Resolver and server permission scoping, but as a pattern you implement, not a construct it ships.

Can I run Bold Reports on-premises?

Yes. Bold Reports offers a self-hosted On-Premises Edition, a vendor-managed Cloud Edition, and a Managed Private Cloud in an isolated environment, the same platform in each. Telerik is self-hosted only, with no first-party managed-SaaS tier.

Test it against your own reports

Bring one real RDL file and settle it in an afternoon

The fastest way to evaluate a Telerik Reporting alternative is to start a trial, upload an RDL report, and review the results. If your reports are Telerik-native, we'll assess the rebuild effort honestly.

Start a free trial

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